1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of jewelry, and more particularly relates to an ornamental jewelry chain wherein the chain is flexible, made of segmented portions with a hollow core mesh.
2. Description of the Related Art
The style of jewelry chain that this invention pertains is commonly referred to as “omega.” To manufacture an omega-style chain, a flexible substrate, such as a woven wire mesh sheet, is provided. The woven mesh is threaded into a plurality of independent links in an end-to-end abutting relation. The thus preformed chain section is placed between the upper and lower dies of a press. The links are then generally uniformly pressed onto the substrate, causing the links to deflect and come into substantial contact with the substrate. The resulting cross sectional shape of the chain is dictated by the contour of the upper and lower dies of the press. The finished chain remains contiguous, but is flexible due to the fact that the links are independent of one another and are supported by the flexible mesh substrate. In this manner, very attractive jewelry items have been created that appear rigid, but are flexible and thus appealing to the wearer and resistant to permanent deformation and disfigurement. The core of these jewelry chains is made out of a solid precious metal creating an undesirably heavy piece of jewelry.
In general, the manufacturing of OMEGA chains is very expensive because OMEGA chains are generally very heavy and are made out of precious metals such as gold, platinum and various metal alloys. With the high cost of gold and other precious metals, it has become extremely expensive to manufacture jewelry using these materials. Furthermore, the average consumer acquisitive capacity has suffered a decline, such decline being felt by the average individual jewelry manufacturer in most developed countries. Jewelry manufacturers in general and the jewelry chain manufacturers in particular have focused and long sought to create products that appear aesthetically similar to the heavier product of solid gold chains but are much lighter in weight (and sought to reduce the amount of precious metal involved in the application). This similarity is achieved by using a lesser amount of precious material content in the jewelry object being manufactured without altering the appearance and look of such heavier jewelry objects.
Therefore, it would be desirable to manufacture jewelry that looks aesthetically similar to the OMEGA style jewelry, but weighs much lighter and costs much less to manufacture.